Police: Woman Attacked By Knife And Hatchet-Wielding Ex-Boyfriend In Royal Oak Home
ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - A 21-year-old Royal Oak man is hospitalized and facing multiple charges after police say he attacked his ex-girlfriend while armed with a hatchet and knife.
It happened just before 3 a.m. Monday at a home in the 1000 block of E. Fourth Street in Royal Oak.
Police say the victim, her current boyfriend and another friend arrived at the house to find the back door had been forced open and zip ties and duct tape had been left sitting out in the kitchen.
That's when the victim's ex-boyfriend jumped out of a closet, grabbed the young woman and held a "razor knife" to her
throat with a hatchet in his other hand.
When the victim began to fight with the suspect, police said, the victim's boyfriend, who had armed himself with a knife, stabbed the suspect.
While on the phone with 911, the boyfriend and the friend struggled with the attacker — who wasn't immediately recognized due to a mask, hoodie and rubber gloves he was wearing. Police said the two young men were eventually able to subdue the suspect, and they held him to the ground until police arrived.
Police said the ex-boyfriend suffered severe injuries but the victim's injuries, to her hand and neck, were minor. She was treated at the scene.
The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, was taken by EMS to Beaumont Hospital where he remained in critical condition, Monday afternoon, under police guard.
According to the victim, the suspect had not previously been violent and has no known criminal history.
He's awaiting charges of unlawful imprisonment, home invasion and felonious assault.
